oil drop experiment
Sign in to saveAlso known as Millikan's oil drop experiment
experiment conducted by R. A. Millikan and H. Fletcher to measure elementary electric charge
~15 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Millikan's setup for the oil drop experiment
The oil drop experiment was performed by Robert A. Millikan and Harvey Fletcher in 1909 to measure the elementary electric charge (the charge of the electron). The experiment took place in the Ryerson Physical Laboratory at the University of Chicago. Millikan received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1923.
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